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Splice Gun Setup Time Reduction at Paraisópolis Plant 2007-01-2825

A high Setup time (Setup quantity x Setup time) required nowadays in the process of Splice Gun obstructs the production line server in a one piece flow. Splice Gun is a machine constituted by hydraulic unit, which has hydraulic and pneumatics valves and an oil reservoir, and a gun. There are 8 different types of Splice Gun. The difference among them is the range of crimping, which changes the gun body and their parameters. To serve the production line, the machine has the necessities of high buffers that occupies area and build high levels of Work in Process (WIP). Currently the setup time is about 6 minutes and all the machines make about 43 setups a day in current IP wiring harness in production. Using Six Sigma methodology, the boundaries were defined and the process was mapped. The setup is essential because the machine have variations in the specified high of crimping height due to pressure variation. A pressure variation occurs due to oil temperature variation. Based on statistic studies, two solutions were proposed: mechanic stop and oil change. Mechanic stop is a metal device that stops the gun's piston in a specified height that can be chosen using a fine adjust. The oil change is an alternative to get the decrease of pressure variation, in consequence, a stable process. Both solutions have, as an objective, the setup time reduction.